Clerical Morality vs. Secular Morality
Situated at the heart of this novel is the moral dilemma facing Rev. Mark Robarts, vicar of Framley parsonage. He has attained his position and influence through wealthy benefactors. The dramatic conflict arises from the vicar's decision to test the limits of the morality of the church he believes in when it comes up against the amorality of the secular power players of Framley. Nathaniel Sowerby is locked in direct conflict with Lady Lufton for the reins of Robarts' power as the vicar of the village. The narrative coalesces over the questions of how far Robarts is willing to bend clerical morality to achieve his personal ambitions.
Morality and Money
Throughout the entire series of novels to which this book belongs there is a running theme on the subject of how money impacts one's sense of morality. Rather than simply suggesting that money corrupts in accordance with the volume of its acquisition, this volume is particularly complex. Sowerby is definitely a corrupting influence on Robarts, but this theme is given greater resonance by the fact that Sowerby's growing amorality is the consequence of losing his wealth. Likewise, though Lady Lufton is ostensibly the positive vehicle by which Robarts attains his vicarship, her wealth and influence is presented as a kind of low-level pact with the devil for the man of God. At various points in the narrative, he makes decisions that are more transactional than pious specifically as a result of the intensifying pressure he feels to please Lady Lufton.
Significance and Insignificance
While Sowerby is generally considered the antagonist of the story, others might strongly argue that Lady Lufton fulfills this role thematically. While the actions of Sowerby threaten Robarts the greatest, Lady Lufton's obsession with assigning significance to the existence of others is more broadly presented as a social danger within a class-conscious system. Lady Lufton characterizes Lucy Robarts–younger sister of the vicar–as too "insignificant" for her son to marry. Sowerby, having fallen into financial hard times, would seem to have become less significant as an influence over Rev. Robarts, yet still wields great political significance which puts him at odds with Lady Lufton. The entirety of the many interconnecting narrative lines comprising the novel are all impacted by the theme of significance and are undermined by the irony that nothing which occurs is of any great significance.
